Why do people strive? Mainstream theories of motivation have largely answered this question by privileging self-oriented motives such as self-worth, self-enhancement, and self-verification. Accumulating theoretical and empirical work, however, suggests that this emphasis reflects culturally specific assumptions about agency and the self, rather than universal principles of goal pursuit and human behavior more broadly. From a sociocultural perspective—particularly distinctions between independent and interdependent selfhood—striving is not only intrapersonal but also interpersonal, embedded in social relationships, roles, and normative expectations. Goals are therefore often pursued for both self-oriented and socially oriented reasons. Understanding goal pursuit thus requires moving beyond a self or social framing toward an integrative account that considers both motivational orientations together. Although this argument is initially motivated by sociocultural perspectives on how selves are organized across contexts, it becomes increasingly clear that personal and social motives are not culture-bound but are universally available features of human motivation. What varies across cultures, contexts, and individuals is not the presence or absence of these orientations, but their relative salience, expression, and meaning. The presentation concludes by discussing implications for motivation theory and research and for how agency, engagement, and purpose are conceptualized across diverse settings.